BBC children’s channel saved after thousands sign petition

Popular children’s TV Channel CBeebies has been saved from the chop after a national campaign saw 130,000 people sign a petition to keep it.

It has now been announced the BBC have bowed to pressure and will be keeping the digital channel on-air.

In a world where children are bombarded with advertising messages, the channels provide a safe and non-commercial environment where children can enjoy gentle programmes which aid their education

Anne Marie O’Leary, Netmums

Lord Tony Hall, who was appointed the director general of the BBC in 2012, told MPs at the Culture, Media and Sport select committee: “We don’t have proposals to take CBeebies and CBBC, as channels, out of the environment.”

The petition at change.org was launched after Lord Hall made comments that, due to budget cuts, some services may be reduced or removed, it stated: “CBeebies plays a significant role in the lives of most parents with little ones, providing both education and entertainment, and affords parents time to do something else (cooking dinner for example!) while their little one is relaxing watching CBeebies.”

CBeebies is home to much loved-favourites like Rastamouse and In The Night Garden and parents were outraged the channel may go.

Speaking after the decision to keep the channel Anne Marie O’Leary, editor in chief of the Netmums website, said: “Parents will be delighted that CBeebies and CBBC are to stay on air.

“In a world where children are bombarded with advertising messages, the channels provide a safe and non-commercial environment where children can enjoy gentle programmes which aid their education.”